Professor Ken Diller pitched a startup venture at StARTup Studio, which provides UT Austin professors with guidance in the art of technology commercialization.
Diller, an internationally recognized authority in heat- and temperature-related processes in living tissues and their application in the design of therapeutic devices, founded Mercury Biomed in March 2015.
The company has two products to regulate body temperature during surgeries: SmartCool and WarmSmart, which work by utilizing the body's natural functions.
During surgery people tend to get quite cool and are susceptible to infections and bleeding if they are not warmed. Cooling patients is needed for patients undergoing traumatic brain injuries or stroke. According to Diller, there's a $1.6 billion market for warming devices and a $665 million market for cooling devices.
Mercury Biomed has raised $300,000 in seed stage funding and its prototypes are currently in clinical trials.They are looking to raise a Series A fund in the $3 million to $4 million range.
